


Bringing the Storm

by ThronedFiddle75



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23697871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThronedFiddle75/pseuds/ThronedFiddle75
Summary: By happenstance, Araceli's first and only Pokémon is the mighty Lugia. Finally ready to reveal herself to the world, Araceli has challenged Rhina, the Fire-type Gym Leader. Can she overcome her nervousness and embrace what destiny has in store for her?
Kudos: 2





	Bringing the Storm

This was it. Her first real test as a trainer. Everything else up to this point had been like a quiz she didn't really need to study for. But this? This was that test that had a bunch of questions on the material the teacher said wouldn't be on it. Some of it may even be material you hadn't learned about yet. This was different. This was a Gym Challenge.

She didn't think she'd lose, of course. Actually, she knew she wouldn't. Gym Leaders used Pokémon based on how many badges you had already and she didn't have any. The Gym Leader would come at her with something that, while powerful for most brand new trainers, would be no competition against Lutetia.

What stuck in her mind was the fact that her life was about to change. A thousand people were packed into the seats in the stadium with maybe a million more watching from the comfort of their living rooms or bedrooms. Everyone would know her name after this. Araceli. The girl with the Lugia.

Steeling herself and taking a deep breath, Araceli walked out onto the field. The lights were blinding but they were nothing compared to the deafening roar of the crowd. She could barely hear the announcer speaking over it.

"Our next challenger," the announcer said, his voice amplified over the stadium's sound system, "hailing from the small town of Riverstone. It's Araceli!" The sound of the crowd grew slightly. The noise started to make her head hurt. They didn't know her, not yet, but they were excited nonetheless. Each new challenger brought new Pokémon and with them came new surprises.

"Just how surprised you'll be," Araceli said as she raised a hand over her eyes to block out some of the light. Across from her, thirty meters away on the other side of the field stood the Gym Leader, Rhina. Araceli felt her heart stick in her throat. Rhina was everything she wanted to be: beautiful, confident, and beloved by the crowd. Araceli shook her hands determinedly and bounced on her heels.

"This will be a two-on-two battle," the announcer continued. "Per League rules, the challenger will be allowed to change Pokémon during the battle while the Gym Leader will not. Trainers, take your positions, and let the battle begin!" If it was even possible the roar of the crowd grew louder. Araceli did her best to ignore the din of the crowd. She could do this. She was ready. She...

Was not. Araceli abruptly turned and ran from the field back into the dim light of the entryway. She could hear the confused cries of the crowd, the equally confused announcer asking where she was going, but she didn't care. Araceli slumped against the entrance tunnel's wall, dropping to sit, and buried her face in her arms. The tears came. The more she mentally tried to will them to stop the harder they fell. It felt as though she had cried for hours when a soft touch fell upon her shoulder. Startled, she looked up, barely able to make out the face that smiled warmly down at her. Araceli brushed the tears away from her eyes with her sleeve and found herself staring into the brilliant azure eyes of Rhina.

"Hey," she said. Her voice was soft and soothing. It reminded Araceli of a cool breeze on a hot summer's day. Not too strong, but enough to bring just the right amount of comfort. Araceli smiled weakly.

"Hey," she managed to squeak out. "I, uh..." She buried her face back in her arms.

"It's okay," Rhina said, sitting down beside the crying girl. "I cried before my first Gym Challenge. Cried when I lost, too." The two sat in silence for a moment; Araceli having nothing to say and Rhina just letting her have her time. After a few minutes, Rhina spoke again.

"You've trained for this, haven't you?" The young girl looked up at her opponent. There was no pity or anger in Rhina's eyes, just warmth, and understanding. "To tell you the truth, I'm just as nervous as you are. Maybe more." She hugged her knees to her chest. "I'm usually supposed to lose if you think about it. It's never a good feeling to lose but it makes me happy to know there are strong trainers out there taking the Gym Challenge. I want you to beat me, you know?"

"That won't be a problem," Araceli muttered, "and that's the problem." Rhina looked confused.

"You're a confident one."

"I'm sorry!" Araceli stammered. "I don't mean to seem arrogant. I don't! It's just..." She frowned and put her head down again. "Lutetia is strong. Really strong," she spoke from between her knees.

"Lutetia? That's a pretty name," Rhina said. "Well, I can assure you my Pokémon are plenty strong, too. I'll give you a challenge."

Something about being this close to a real trainer like Rhina inspired something in her. It gave her confidence.

"Can you do something for me?" Rhina smiled and put her arm around Araceli's shoulder.

"If you stop crying and promise to give me your best, I'll try."

"Can you..." Araceli took a deep breath. "Can you use your best Pokémon? I've read that Gym Leaders use stronger Pokémon against a trainer with seven badges. Do you have any stronger Pokémon?" Rhina was surprised but hid her shock well.

"Seven badges? You're just starting out. You'd be absolute..." She stopped speaking when she saw the determination in Araceli's eyes. "Well, now I am definitely wondering what kind of heat you're bringing. But I'm the Fire-type Gym Leader and I can promise you I'll bring as much heat as I can." She rose to her feet, extending her hand to help the younger girl up. "I'll give you my best, so you need to give me yours, okay?" Araceli nodded eagerly.

"It's a deal!" Rhina smiled again and turned back up the ramp.

"I can't wait to meet Lutetia," she called over her shoulder. Araceli watched Rhina's silhouette as it melded into the light and disappeared. She took out Lutetia's Poké Ball and looked at it for a long time.

"No," she whispered. "Not just you. It's time everyone met Lutetia." With another deep breath and one last brush of her sleeve to mop up any remaining tears, Araceli smiled and followed Rhina out into the stadium.

"After a pep talk from Rhina," the announcer boomed as Araceli stood on the field, "it looks like our challenger is back and ready to do battle. Now, without further ado, let the battle commence!"

"All right," Rhina called. "You asked for the heat so don't cry when you get burnt! You're going to need some sunscreen for this one because I'm sending out Pyroar!" She threw a Poké Ball onto the field. It burst open in a dazzling flash of red light. The light swirled and took the shape of a beautiful lion with dark brown fur on its back and sides and tan fur on its chest, belly, and legs. Its eyes matched Rhina's, though they were much more fierce. Its mane, a combination of red and yellow, extended from its forehead and back like a long flame rather than bushing around its face, signifying it was female.

"Oh and Rhina leads with Pyroar!" the announcer said, excitement in his voice. "It's been a long time since we've seen Pyroar," he continued. "Pyroar is usually reserved for more experienced trainers. Let's see what Araceli sends out in response."

Araceli rolled her Poké Ball around in her hand a few times. She had asked for this. It was too late to back down now. She had cried her tears and she wouldn't be doing it again. It was now or never.

"Time to bring the storm! Rhina, that Burn Badge is mine. Come on out Lutetia!" The world around Araceli's seemed to slow as she watched the Poké Ball sail through the air. The light glinted off the red and white sphere as it continued. She held her breath as it hit the ground, bouncing once, twice, then bursting open in the same dazzling display of red light as Rhina's. The amount of light from her Poké Ball, however, was much greater. It swirled and twisted as it took shape. With a mighty cry and a flourish of her wings, Lutetia appeared from the light.

The stadium was so silent Araceli could hear Lutetia's wings as they flapped gently. The giant bird settled down onto the field, crouching down and folding her wings beside her. She turned her gaze toward Rhina.

"That's a..." the announcer began, but shock prevented him from getting the words out.

"Lugia," Rhina finished. Her mouth was wide open, amazement in her eyes. Even Pyroar backed away slowly from the legendary Pokémon that sat before it.

Araceli was fairly certain her hearing would be permanently damaged from the noise that erupted from the crowd.

"Well," Araceli said, a smile on her face, "this is Lutetia." Rhina laughed as she recovered herself.

"I can see why you wanted me to bring my best," she said. "Pyroar, it might be a legend, but it's still just a Pokémon! Take it down with a Crunch!" Pyroar leaped at Lutetia, who raised her wing to block the attack. The lion's teeth clamped down, but Lutetia didn't seem bothered in the slightest.

"Shake it off with a Gust!" Araceli countered. Lutetia flapped her wings twice sending Pyroar flying back toward Rhina. Pyroar rose to her feet just as the wind from the second flap crashed into her. Rhina had the presence of mind to recall Pyroar before she crashed into the wall.

"Amazing!" the announcer screamed. "Pyroar is taken down with a single Gust! Lugia's power is incredible!"

"Don't count me out yet!" Rhina scolded. "Let's turn up the heat!" She sent another Poké Ball onto the field. It burst open to reveal a rather bored-looking bird with orange and grey feathers, black wings, and a black-and-yellow tail.

"Rhina has sent out her strongest Pokémon, Talonflame! Can this fiery feathered foe compete against the mighty Lugia?"

Talonflame's bored look disappeared when it caught sight of its adversary. Lugia was easily five times the firebird's size, but Talonflame seemed to relish the challenge. It bowed its head in respect to the much larger bird. Lugia returned the gesture.

"Talonflame, use Swords Dance!" Rhina commanded. Talonflame's claws glowed brightly, signaling a significant boost in its attack strength.

"Lutetia, let's put a damper on Rhina's plans with Rain Dance!" Lutetia cried out, its voice like a soothing song that echoed over the field, and rose to the top of the stadium. Dark clouds began to form around her as she spun in the air and dropped quickly back to the ground. No sooner had she landed than the raindrops started to fall.

"Oh, and Lugia uses Rain Dance! For the next several minutes the rain will certainly weaken the power of Rhina's Fire-type moves."

"A good strategy," Rhina said. Araceli beamed at the compliment. "If I was going to use Fire-type moves," she finished, knocking the wind out of Araceli's sails. "Talonflame, use Brave Bird!" Talonflame tucked its wings into its body and charged at Lutetia, bursting into flame as it did so.

"What's that?" Araceli asked.

"That's Talonflame's ability," Rhina said with a smug smile. "Gale Wings gives Flying-type moves priority meaning that your Lugia is going to have a difficult time avoiding this!" Lutetia cried out in pain as Talonflame smashed into her, raking its sharp talons across her back. With the boost from Swords Dance, the damage that Lutetia took had to have been incredible. As Talonflame flew away, however, Araceli couldn't help but notice it seemed more sluggish than before.

"Brave Bird hurts Talonflame," Rhina explained, "although nowhere near as much as it does Lugia."

"That's fine," Araceli replied. "Lutetia, heal it off with Roost!" Lugia landed in front of her trainer and folded her wings as she began to glow.

"Talonflame do the same!" Rhina said. Araceli gritted her teeth as Talonflame perched in front of Rhina, glowing just as brightly as Lugia. "But that's not all," Rhina said. "Because of Gale Wings giving Flying-type moves priority, Talonflame will be ready to go while Lugia's still healing!" Araceli scowled as she saw Rhina was right. Lugia was still glowing as Talonflame was soaring towards her.

"Let's hit her with another Brave Bird before she has a chance to recover!" Talonflame burst into flame again and prepared to crash into Lugia.

"Lutetia, use Protect!" Araceli wasn't sure Lugia would be able to use Protect while still healing, but it couldn't hurt to try. A translucent blue sphere surrounded Lugia. Talonflame crashed into it and bounced off. Because Brave Bird hadn't connected, however, it didn't seem that Talonflame would take any damage. "Are you okay, Lutetia?" Araceli asked. Lugia nodded. She hadn't healed completely but she was well enough to fight. "That ability of hers is going to be a problem," Araceli said. "We have to lock her down! Use Thunder Wave!" Lugia sang loudly and spread her wings wide before flapping them toward Talonflame. Three yellow rings of electricity spiraled outward, penetrating into the firebird.

"And Lugia manages to paralyze Talonflame with Thunder Wave! That will severely decrease Talonflame's speed and possibly even make it unable to attack!" the announcer said.

"We have to get your speed back up, Talonflame. Use Agility!" Talonflame's wings glowed blue for a moment as it increased its speed.

"It's too fast and too powerful," Araceli lamented. Lugia was naturally powerful but Araceli hadn't had much opportunity to train her. Rhina had years of training devoted to Talonflame. A thought suddenly popped into her head. "Or maybe it's not powerful enough," she mused. "Lutetia, use Swagger!"

Rhina and Araceli watched as Talonflame's claws glowed again.

"Swagger increases your Pokémon's attack power, just the same as Swords Dance!" Araceli said.

"Why would you want to make Talonflame stronger?" Rhina asked. Araceli just smiled. "Fine! Talonflame, your speed is back up and you're stronger than ever! Finish that Lugia with another Brave Bird!"

Talonflame's eyes glowed red with rage. It squawked and screamed but didn't attack.

"Talonflame, what's wrong?"

"In addition to an attack increase, Swagger also confuses your Pokémon! It doesn't understand what you're asking it to do." Rhina glared at Araceli.

"The confusion won't last forever. Talonflame is still stronger and faster than Lugia! It's only a matter of time." Araceli shook her head as she put the rest of her plan into action.

"Let's fix that then! Lutetia use Psych Up!" Lugia closed her eyes and began to glow. Across the field, Talonflame did the same.

"What's happening?" Rhina asked. Araceli smiled brighter than ever.

"Psych Up allows Lutetia to copy any stat changes her opponent has. That boost in speed and attack? Lutetia has those now, except without the confusion or paralysis." She turned her attention back to Lugia. "Hit it with Dragon Rush!" Blue flames enveloped Lugia as she sped toward Talonflame, slamming hard into the smaller avian.

"Talonflame, get out of there and use Roost!" Talonflame shook a bit, stunned from the power of the attack.

"It looks like Lugia's Dragon Rush made Talonflame flinch!" the announcer said. "Can Araceli capitalize on this opportunity and put Talonflame away for good?"

"Finish it off with Aqua Tail!" Lugia's song filled the arena again, somehow managing to be heard over the roar of the crowd. Her tail glowed blue as she tucked in her wings and sailed toward Talonflame. Rhina's prized Pokémon was just barely able to turn to catch a glimpse of Lugia rolling forward, smashing her tail into Talonflame with a ferocity the otherwise gentle bird rarely showed. Talonflame was unconscious before he struck the ground; something Araceli was thankful for given how loud the sound of the impact was.

"I lost," Rhina said, recalling Talonflame to his Poké Ball. Araceli felt her cheeks flush as she looked across the stadium at her opponent. To her surprise, Rhina was smiling as she walked toward her. "When I first became a Gym Leader, I didn't really understand what that meant. I strove to be the best and tried my hardest to defeat every single challenger that I came up against. My first loss crushed me. I thought I had failed. I wanted to quit being a Gym Leader." She looked up at Lugia who was doing a slow, rolling victory lap around the stadium. Thousands of cameras took pictures of the majestic creature. No one had ever seen a Lugia before. A good deal of them probably thought the legendary bird was just that: a creature that existed only in legend and not in the flesh.

"Lutetia is amazing," Rhina said. "I'm guessing you haven't had many opportunities to train her? I think a trainer with a Lugia would have been big news if anyone had seen her." Araceli nodded.

"This was her first real battle. She's had a little bit of practice on her own." Rhina kept smiling and held out a small pin. It was red and orange. Three flames touched at their bases like a trinity knot.

"You and Lutetia have earned the Burn Badge," she said. Araceli pressed her fingers to the badge. It was warmer than she expected. She supposed there was some kind of gimmick to the metal that made it like that. Or Rhina had been holding it too long. She took the offered badge and pinned it to her shirt below her left shoulder.

"Look Lutetia," she said as Lugia came to land beside her. The silver bird nuzzled her head on Araceli's shoulder before looking at the badge and singing softly. "Our first badge." It wasn't until now that she noticed the applause that had started when she defeated Rhina and was still continuing.

"There's probably going to be reporters waiting for you," Rhina said. "There's normally one or two waiting when someone defeats me but you've probably drawn some extra attention." She reached out a hand to Lugia who stared at it for a moment before allowing Rhina to stroke under her chin. "Her feathers are so soft." Araceli held Lugia's Poké Ball out.

"I'll bring you back out soon, okay?" Lugia sang again, sadder this time, but nodded. They both understood that she wouldn't fit through the door. Araceli turned her gaze back to Rhina. "Thank you," she said. "For everything."

"You're going to be a great trainer," Rhina said. Araceli shook her head.

"I'm nothing special. I just happen to have a good Pokémon. A really good Pokémon." Rhina laughed.

"I don't think Lutetia would have allowed herself to be captured if she didn't see something in you." Rhina pulled Araceli into a hug. "Good luck out there. Work hard and call me if you ever need anything." Araceli watched Rhina walk away after giving her her number. She looked down at Lugia's Poké Ball.

"This is just the beginning," she whispered. "There's so much more for us to do." Out of impulse, Araceli raised Lugia's Poké Ball above her head as the crowd cheered. "It's time to bring the storm!"

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read my story. As it stands, this is meant to be a complete story. However, should there be enough interest, perhaps I will delve into the tale of how Acareli obtained her Lugia and continue with their journey through my original region.


End file.
